Supporting Policies for Flexible Employment During the Epidemic in Some G20 Members
  • 2020-06-29
  • Entrepreneurship Research Center on G20 Economies
  • Edit
  • Before the outbreak of the Covid-19, flexible employment was in a stage of rapid development around the world. Because of its flexibility in working time, places, and forms, flexible employment has become a popular option for many young workforces. However, the flexible-employed are more vulnerable to changes in the external environment than SMEs.

    Many flexible-employed faced a sharp decline in income caused by the sudden drop in market demand due to the outbreak of the epidemic. Especially for some flexible-employed who mainly work offline or require a combination of online and offline, they cannot go out to work normally according to the government's epidemic prevention and control requirements. They are basically in a state of work suspension, and cannot enjoy the paid rotation arrangement as employees of enterprises. At the same time, flexible employment in most countries cannot enjoy unemployment protection. Once an infection is diagnosed, or if they are asked to be isolated and unable to work normally, they lose their source of income. Especially for those with low income, their daily lives are very severely affected.

    Some G20 member countries issued anti-epidemic relief policies during the epidemic prevention and control period and regarded flexible employment as an important target of assistance. The flexible-employed are granted the same welfare benefits as traditional employees. Also, some countries have specifically introduced targeted supporting measures for the flexible-employed.

    In some countries with well-developed social welfare systems, the protection of flexible-employed during the epidemic has been included as a part of its system. For example, France has included the self-employed in its social security system; the United States has also extend its unemployment insurance for flexible-employed; The “Self-Employment Income Support Plan” proposed by the UK establishes a preliminary template, which may form a social security system for the self-employed in the future. 

    The gradual expansion of social security and welfare policies to flexible-employed not only helps them to weather the impact of the epidemic but also relieves the employment pressure generated by the pandemic. At the same time, it is a concrete manifestation of the continuous updating and improving of the social security system to adapt to the changing forms of employment.





  • Partners

  • Global Health Innovation Center (GHIC)
  • World Intelligent Incubation Network (WIIN)
  • National University of Singapore
  • Canada-China Institute For Business & Development
  • TusPark Research Institute for Innovation
  • Cross-strait Tsinghua Research Institute
  • Tsinghua X-Lab

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